I'm here
by StarCharm
Summary: Oneshot. Aqua had been brought back from the Realm of Darkness and Ventus was awake, but despite being safe there were some wounds that would take more time to heal. Venqua


It was dead quiet. Sitting by the roof Aqua contemplated whether the stars looked the same here as they did back in Land of Departure, but deep inside she knew she didn't have the guts to go back and find out, at least not for a long time.

Though her time spent in the Realm of Darkness wasn't always by that lugubrious beach, she couldn't help but miss the sound of the waves. They had given her momentary relief when she found out she was not alone in that place, and brought her back memories of a warm beach with a setting sun she encountered once.

It was still strange getting used to the life she had willingly given up.

Aqua had yet to let her senses waver so with the warning of the blowing wind and the sudden feeling of another presence, she noticed someone was approaching her from behind.

"You shouldn't be up." Aqua pointed out, not bothering to look back.

She listened how the steps faltered clumsily due the uneven rooftop, until they recovered balance and sat down next to her.

"After all that time I spent sleeping do you seriously think I'd be able to fall asleep again?" Ven replied matter-of-factly. "Not a chance. What if I don't wake up again?"

"We both know that's not going to happen." Aqua chuckled.

"Look who's talking." The blond murmured under his breath.

But he was still heard, and Aqua sighed sadly, gazing from the sky back down to her hands.

Ven couldn't really blame her, it had been only one day since she was rescued from the Realm of Darkness and he was woken up. Though safe they were both still in a state of stupor, almost like it really wasn't happening, like they really hadn't been missing for more than ten years, and like there really was no sign of Terra. They were still letting it sink in, all at once.

"Out of all of us I thought you'd be the most tired." Ven said, avoiding her distracted gaze.

"I'm not tired."

Ven frowned.

"Then how are you feeling?"

Aqua took a moment to look at Eraqus' keyblade that laid by her other side, still unsummoned, then at Ven's concerned eyes.

"I'm not sure." She felt at a loss, still confused and disoriented.

Ven's sympathetic stare lingered on for a few moments, before he skidded a little closer to her and placed a hand above hers.

Much to his relief she didn't appear to be hurt, or at least with heavy or evident injuries, but Ven knew all of the damage was somewhere he couldn't perceive with his eyes alone. He gently stroked her hand with his thumb, urging her to speak up.

"It definitely didn't feel like ten years." She whispered. "All the while I was there I was never hungry or tired. Maybe worn out from time to time, but I just kept going."

Aqua looked back up at the sky with a melancholic smile.

"The only thing that kept me going was my promise of coming back to wake you up, and knowing that Terra was out there safe." A small tear threatened to gather at the corner of her eye but Aqua wiped it away. "Sometimes, I even thought Terra had found you."

Ven leaned his forehead against Aqua's shoulder; Terra's fate was something both of them still couldn't believe, the truth was too much to bear.

"But…" Aqua couldn't seem to find any more words and took a deep breath, doing her best to keep her emotions at bay.

They stood in silence for a moment, both looking at the scenery.

"Look at this place." Aqua suddenly spoke. "This used to be Radiant Garden…"

Ven's eyes averted in the same direction as Aqua's. He remembered the flowers, fountains and life that overflowed at every turn of the city, but now before him were bleak and metal buildings that extended far to the castle that used to stand tall and proud, and now only held half of what it used to be.

"There's nothing we could have done." Ven assured her, almost as if reading her fears.

Aqua bit her lower lip hesitant of speaking up, but guilt kept eating at her from the inside.

"Did Terra do this?"

Ventus stayed quiet, not sure of what to say. Something in his gut told him it could have been him, but his heart begged him to ignore that feeling.

"I don't know."

Neither dared to say anything else and remained quiet.

Since Aqua had been brought back she hadn't said anything about her whole experience in the Realm of Darkness, and though they both had other important things in mind like finding Terra and joining forces with Sora to defeat Xehanort, the last thing Ven wanted was for Aqua to bottle everything up and let it eat her away.

Suddenly his Master's keyblade became a sore sight to him.

Ven rose from Aqua's shoulder and gingerly intertwined his fingers with hers, earning her full attention.

"Aqua, I don't know what happened to you while I was asleep, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…" He began solemnly. "But, I just want you to realize that you're not alone anymore."

With gentle movements as if afraid to startle her Ven brought her other hand closer to him, until her palm touched his chest where he knew his heart was.

"I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Aqua's lips turned into a sad smile, as if a light had suddenly dawned down on her. He could see through her eyes how her strong barriers finally broke down, and in a few blinks her eyes watered to the brim until tears fell down her cheeks.

She wanted to be strong. She didn't want anyone to see how scared and helpless she really felt, but the sincerity in Ven's words comforted her, and it was enough to let her loose.

Aqua's arms surrounded Ven's body in a tight embrace, and her eyes hid amongst his wild blond hair.

"Thank you."

In a flash of white the Master's Defender vanished.


End file.
